President Jokowi Assigns Sofyan Djalil to Meet With Japanese PM to Discuss High Speed Train

President Jokowi Assigns Sofyan Djalil to Meet With Japanese PM to Discuss High Speed Train

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has assigned Minister of National Development Planning/ Head of National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Sofyan Djalil to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to talk about the Government’splan ofthe construction of Jakarta-Bandung high speed train.

The President also sent a special envoy to meet with the Government of the People’s Republic of China to discuss the same issue.

 “Yesterday, the President sent a special envoy Pak Sofyan Djalil to meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a special envoy to meet withrepresentatives of the Government of China,” Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung Wibowo told reporters at the Presidential office, Jakarta, on Monday (28/9).

As previously reported, Japan and China have submitted a proposal of Indonesian high speed train project targetted to commensurate with ‘Shinkansen’ with a speed of 300 kilometers per hour to serve Jakarta-Bandung route.

 For Jakarta-Bandung route, the high speed train is expected to be able to slash the travel time up to 2-3 hours intoapproximately 37 minutes.

In the feasibility study document of Japan, there is also a plan to construct high speed train connectingthe route to Cirebon and even Surabaya.

 However, the Government has decided to refuse the proposal of the two countries because of three main reasons, namely: the project is better to tend to business to business (B to B), the project gives burden to the State Budget (APBN), and there is no guarantee from the Government.

“We do not want to burden the State Budget. So, I have decided not to use the State Budget to construct the high speed train. There is no guarantee from the Government. Therefore, I give an authority to State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) to perform the B and B business,” the President said during a visit to Rawa Badak Selatan village, Koja sub-district, North Jakarta, on Thursday (3/9).

Pramono went on to say that the Government would immediately announce measures to be taken related to the continuance of Jakarta-Bandung high speed train construction.

In the last meeting, the President appointed Coordinating Minister for the Economy as the chairman of the assesment team to announce this issue to the public.

Pramono added that a team from the Coordinating Minister for the Economy would assess the project plan whether high speed train would be constructed or only the speed of train changed.

Regarding the objection of Japan for the three reasons of the Government, Pramono said that the Government had decided to stick to the reasons andif Japan cannot accept, that will become another matter.

When reporters asked Pramono Anung the name of the special envoy to China, he said that he did not remember the name.

Pramono further said that the Government had decided to lower the velocity of the Jakarta-Bandung high speed train, which was initially planned to be 300 kilometers/hour.

 “The exact speed is still examined; yet, it will definitely lower,” he concluded.(DND/UN/ES) (JS/EP/YM-Naster/Sy)